Hopkins Marine Station Student Paper

Title: Predation by tidepool and nearshore fishes and ints impact on the rocky intertidal zone communityStudent Author(s): Nichols, Andrew W.Faculty Advisor(s): Baxter, ChuckPages: 37Location: Final Papers Biology 175HDate: June 1979 Keywords: midtide forest communityAbstract: 1. Studies were done on the exploitation of intertidal food resources by resident intertidal species and inshore movement of the nearshore fishes. Presence of intertidal food items in the gut contents of several nearshore fishes suggest extensive feeding occurs in the intertidal during high tides. 2. Gut content analyses of tidepool fishes implies that most if not all of their feeding occurs intertidally. Wooly sculpins were the most common tidepool species and consumed a wide variety of food items. The monkeyface-eel appears to be herbiverous and consumes large quantities of intertidal algae. 3. Observations and gut content examinations of the black and striped surfperches show they obtrain tiny invertebrate food items by picking off the algal turf. 4. The pile surfperch concentrates its diet on large visible food items, primarily hermit crabs and gastropods. 5. The feeding activities of the back and striped surfperches and the monkeyface-eel result in tearing and trimming of the algal turf and thus have substantial impact on the intertidal community.